OTTAWA, June 19 (LSN.ca) - In a revealing interview with the National Post, Canadian Alliance
leadership candidate Tom Long was candid regarding his intention to forcefully sweep under
the carpet issues of great concern to many Canadians. “Proposing new restrictions on
abortion, or encouraging such a debate, is not on his radar screen. If voters want that, he
says, don’t vote for him. He doesn’t want any ‘buyer’s remorse’ when he wins,” writes Norma
Greenaway after an interview with Long.
Long’s strategy on social issues appears to be identical to the Harris government where MPPs
who acted to restore parental rights over the health care of their children or conscience
protection for health care workers were intimidated to drop what the PCs called “abortion”
initiatives because they would “cause division in the party”. Thus under a Long government
even conscience protection for health care workers or strengthening of parental rights would
not be permitted as they would be very narrowly defined as divisive “abortion” matters.
Long’s rhetoric about “divisiveness” is misleading. In fact, divisions within the Alliance
are being created by Long and his supporters who appear to be pushing establishment, top-down
political strategies and a radically different social philosophy into the party.
Long and the Harris Tories seem to be far more intense and preoccupied over abortion and
other social conservative issues than the Day and Manning camps. The intolerance for even
discussing the issues is extraordinary in the context of the usual Reform/Alliance openness
and populist tradition. Both Day and Manning have been emphasizing primarily economic issues
in their campaigns, but neither seem particularly troubled about speaking simultaneously on
social issues.
See the coverage in the National Post:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news.asp?s2=national&f=000619/321714.html
See CLC analysis of the Tories for the 1999 Ontario election
http://lifesite.net/interim/1999/march/3onttor.html
OTTAWA, June 19 (LSN.ca) - In a revealing interview with the National Post, Canadian Alliance
leadership candidate Tom Long was candid regarding his intention to forcefully sweep under
the carpet issues of great concern to many Canadians. “Proposing new restrictions on
abortion, or encouraging such a debate, is not on his radar screen. If voters want that, he
says, don’t vote for him. He doesn’t want any ‘buyer’s remorse’ when he wins,” writes Norma
Greenaway after an interview with Long.
Long’s strategy on social issues appears to be identical to the Harris government where MPPs
who acted to restore parental rights over the health care of their children or conscience
protection for health care workers were intimidated to drop what the PCs called “abortion”
initiatives because they would “cause division in the party”. Thus under a Long government
even conscience protection for health care workers or strengthening of parental rights would
not be permitted as they would be very narrowly defined as divisive “abortion” matters.
Long’s rhetoric about “divisiveness” is misleading. In fact, divisions within the Alliance
are being created by Long and his supporters who appear to be pushing establishment, top-down
political strategies and a radically different social philosophy into the party.
Long and the Harris Tories seem to be far more intense and preoccupied over abortion and
other social conservative issues than the Day and Manning camps. The intolerance for even
discussing the issues is extraordinary in the context of the usual Reform/Alliance openness
and populist tradition. Both Day and Manning have been emphasizing primarily economic issues
in their campaigns, but neither seem particularly troubled about speaking simultaneously on
social issues.
See the coverage in the National Post:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news.asp?s2=national&f=000619/321714.html
See CLC analysis of the Tories for the 1999 Ontario election
http://lifesite.net/interim/1999/march/3onttor.html